Shanghai Seaport successfully advanced to the next round of the F.A.C.A. Cup with a 2-1 win over Zhejiang in the F.A.C.A. Cup one-eighth final match on July 17th, Beijing time. After the match, the head coach of Seaport, Muscat, attended the press conference and spoke highly of his team's performance and especially thanked the fans for their unwavering support.
Muscat began by emphasizing the importance of advancing: "The most gratifying thing for me is that we managed to advance to the next round. The conditions of today's match were indeed extreme and posed a considerable challenge to both sides. But under such difficult circumstances, our players showed great professionalism and extreme dedication to the game. Both on the defensive and offensive sides of the ball, they played very well. On defense, we showed strong aggression; on offense, we dared to take risks and create opportunities."
Afterwards, Muscat analyzed the team's tactical execution and players' performance in detail: "The result of a match often depends on the execution of tactical discipline. I am very happy to see that our players always kept a clear head on the field and strictly executed our tactical deployment. They were not distracted by any off-field factors and were totally focused on the game itself. I would like to give a special commendation to our rotational players, who did a fantastic job in today's game and contributed to the team's victory."
Speaking about the support of the fans, Muscat couldn't hide his excitement: "I want to especially thank our fans. In such weather conditions, they came all the way to cheer for us on the road. Their support gave us great motivation and made us more confident and brave on the field. The enthusiasm and encouragement of the fans was felt throughout the team and it made a difference to us. We are proud and honored to have such a loyal group of fans."
Finally, Muscat was confident about the future of his team, "The starting lineup we put out today was designed to take the game and advance to the next round. I think this lineup is strong enough to meet all kinds of challenges. At the same time, we will make appropriate rotations according to the actual situation in order to maintain the competitiveness and vitality of the team. I believe that with the joint efforts of all players and fans, Shanghai Seaport will be able to achieve even better results in the coming matches."
